The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Smash and grab robberies often involve a person waiting for a person to leave their automobile, then breaking in to quickly take valuables and leaving. These are often crimes of opportunity, with the robbery perpetrator wanting to get things as quickly as they can.
For example, there have been situations where organized teams of individuals watch people in certain kinds of parking lots such as beach parking lots. When victims leave their car, or get on their surfboards, another individual is informed, who breaks into the car and steals the valuables.
There are various kinds of safes that can be installed in vehicles, such as gun safes and other kinds of permanently installed safes. These, however, require complete retrofit of the vehicle to install the safe in a secure way, such that it cannot be easily removed. This retrofit is expensive and takes up permanent room in the vehicle, and often requires professional installation.
All publications identified herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
Thus, there is still a need for locking devices for temporarily securing goods that can be used within existing vehicles.